Bill Cassidy, the Republican senator from Louisiana and previously seen as the decisive holdout, announced on Friday, August 7th, 2026, that he will support Todd Blanche’s nomination for US attorney general. Blanche, a former personal lawyer and loyal ally of Donald Trump, had faced opposition from moderate Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.

Cassidy stated on the Senate floor, “I will vote for Mr Blanche. Mr Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this, but the choice is not between perfection and Mr Blanche; it is between Mr Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump, and who indeed may not be as good as Mr Blanche.”

With Cassidy’s backing, Blanche is expected to be confirmed by a narrow margin, likely along party lines, as the Senate prepares for a final vote series before the five-week August recess starting the weekend of August 7th.

Murkowski had earlier announced she would not support Blanche’s confirmation, leaving Cassidy as the last undecided Republican vote. Collins had already opposed the nomination over concerns about the independence of the US Department of Justice. Both Murkowski and Cassidy were among the few Republicans who voted to convict Trump after his 2021 impeachment related to the January 6 Capitol riot.

Cassidy, who lost his Louisiana primary in May after facing challengers including one backed by Trump, had been under pressure from the White House and expressed concerns about “lawfare” at the Justice Department before deciding to support Blanche.

Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, though Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, recently released from the hospital, is not attending sessions due to health reasons.

Sources